diff --git a/passbook/stages/user_login/migrations/0003_session_duration_delta.py b/passbook/stages/user_login/migrations/0003_session_duration_delta.py
index 5d0c0d8d9..265cfbeaa 100644
--- a/passbook/stages/user_login/migrations/0003_session_duration_delta.py
+++ b/passbook/stages/user_login/migrations/0003_session_duration_delta.py
@@ -14,10 +14,7 @@ def update_duration(apps: Apps, schema_editor: BaseDatabaseSchemaEditor):
 
     for stage in UserLoginStage.objects.using(db_alias).all():
         if stage.session_duration.isdigit():
-            if stage.session_duration == 0:
-                stage.session_duration = "seconds=1"
-            else:
-                stage.session_duration = f"seconds={stage.session_duration}"
+            stage.session_duration = f"seconds={stage.session_duration}"
             stage.save()
 
 
@@ -32,8 +29,8 @@ class Migration(migrations.Migration):
             model_name="userloginstage",
             name="session_duration",
             field=models.TextField(
-                default="seconds=-1",
-                help_text="Determines how long a session lasts. Default of -1 means that the sessions lasts until the browser is closed. (Format: hours=-1;minutes=-2;seconds=-3)",
+                default="seconds=0",
+                help_text="Determines how long a session lasts. Default of 0 means that the sessions lasts until the browser is closed. (Format: hours=-1;minutes=-2;seconds=-3)",
                 validators=[passbook.lib.utils.time.timedelta_string_validator],
             ),
         ),
diff --git a/passbook/stages/user_login/models.py b/passbook/stages/user_login/models.py
index 690de176e..d70be4a87 100644
--- a/passbook/stages/user_login/models.py
+++ b/passbook/stages/user_login/models.py
@@ -15,10 +15,10 @@ class UserLoginStage(Stage):
     """Attaches the currently pending user to the current session."""
 
     session_duration = models.TextField(
-        default="seconds=-1",
+        default="seconds=0",
         validators=[timedelta_string_validator],
         help_text=_(
-            "Determines how long a session lasts. Default of -1 means "
+            "Determines how long a session lasts. Default of 0 means "
             "that the sessions lasts until the browser is closed. "
             "(Format: hours=-1;minutes=-2;seconds=-3)"
         ),
diff --git a/passbook/stages/user_login/stage.py b/passbook/stages/user_login/stage.py
index dc3619007..f2bd4c05c 100644
--- a/passbook/stages/user_login/stage.py
+++ b/passbook/stages/user_login/stage.py
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
 from django.contrib import messages
 from django.contrib.auth import login
 from django.http import HttpRequest, HttpResponse
-from django.utils.timezone import now
 from django.utils.translation import gettext as _
 from structlog import get_logger
 
@@ -35,11 +34,10 @@ class UserLoginStageView(StageView):
             backend=backend,
         )
         delta = timedelta_from_string(self.executor.current_stage.session_duration)
-        if delta.seconds == -1:
+        if delta.seconds == 0:
             self.request.session.set_expiry(0)
         else:
-            expiry = now() + delta
-            self.request.session.set_expiry(expiry)
+            self.request.session.set_expiry(delta)
         LOGGER.debug(
             "Logged in",
             user=self.executor.plan.context[PLAN_CONTEXT_PENDING_USER],