diff --git a/app/notify_client/user_api_client.py b/app/notify_client/user_api_client.py
index d340430bb..693a321f7 100644
--- a/app/notify_client/user_api_client.py
+++ b/app/notify_client/user_api_client.py
@@ -1,8 +1,5 @@
 from notifications_python_client.notifications import BaseAPIClient
-from notifications_python_client.errors import (
-    HTTPError,
-    InvalidResponse
-)
+from notifications_python_client.errors import HTTPError
 
 from flask.ext.login import UserMixin
 
@@ -34,6 +31,11 @@ class UserApiClient(BaseAPIClient):
         user_data = self.get(url)
         return User(user_data['data'], max_failed_login_count=self.max_failed_login_count)
 
+    def get_user_by_email(self, email_address):
+        params = {'email': email_address}
+        user_data = self.get('/user/email', params=params)
+        return User(user_data['data'], max_failed_login_count=self.max_failed_login_count)
+
     def get_users(self):
         users_data = self.get("/user")['data']
         users = []
@@ -57,13 +59,6 @@ class UserApiClient(BaseAPIClient):
             if e.status_code == 400 or e.status_code == 404:
                 return False
 
-    def get_user_by_email(self, email_address):
-        users = self.get_users()
-        user = [u for u in users if u.email_address == email_address]
-        if len(user) == 1:
-            return user[0]
-        return None
-
     def send_verify_code(self, user_id, code_type, to):
         data = {'to': to}
         endpoint = '/user/{0}/{1}-code'.format(user_id, code_type)
diff --git a/tests/app/main/notify_client/test_user_client.py b/tests/app/main/notify_client/test_user_client.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..433a36952
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/app/main/notify_client/test_user_client.py
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+from app.notify_client.user_api_client import UserApiClient
+
+
+def test_client_uses_correct_find_by_email(mocker, api_user_active):
+
+    expected_url = '/user/email'
+    expected_params = {'email': api_user_active.email_address}
+
+    client = UserApiClient()
+    client.max_failed_login_count = 1  # doesn't matter for this test
+    mock_get = mocker.patch('app.notify_client.user_api_client.UserApiClient.get')
+
+    client.get_user_by_email(api_user_active.email_address)
+
+    mock_get.assert_called_once_with(expected_url, params=expected_params)