diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/redis/cache/RedisCache.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/redis/cache/RedisCache.java
index 76071ae80..a34c34b30 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/redis/cache/RedisCache.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/redis/cache/RedisCache.java
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@
 package org.springframework.data.redis.cache;
 
 import static org.springframework.util.Assert.*;
-import static org.springframework.util.ObjectUtils.*;
 
 import java.lang.reflect.Constructor;
 import java.util.Arrays;
@@ -37,6 +36,7 @@ import org.springframework.data.redis.core.RedisOperations;
 import org.springframework.data.redis.serializer.RedisSerializer;
 import org.springframework.data.redis.serializer.StringRedisSerializer;
 import org.springframework.util.ClassUtils;
+import org.springframework.util.ObjectUtils;
 
 /**
  * Cache implementation on top of Redis.
@@ -720,20 +720,27 @@ public class RedisCache implements Cache {
 		public byte[] doInRedis(BinaryRedisCacheElement element, RedisConnection connection) throws DataAccessException {
 
 			waitForLock(connection);
-			byte[] resultValue = put(element, connection);
 
-			if (nullSafeEquals(element.get(), resultValue)) {
+			byte existingValue[] = null;
+
+			boolean keyMaintenance;
+
+			byte[] keyBytes = element.getKeyBytes();
+			byte[] value = element.get();
+
+			if (connection.setNX(keyBytes, value)) {
+				keyMaintenance = true;
+			} else {
+				existingValue = connection.get(keyBytes);
+				keyMaintenance = ObjectUtils.nullSafeEquals(value, existingValue);
+			}
+
+			if (keyMaintenance) {
 				processKeyExpiration(element, connection);
 				maintainKnownKeys(element, connection);
 			}
 
-			return resultValue;
-		}
-
-		private byte[] put(BinaryRedisCacheElement element, RedisConnection connection) {
-
-			boolean valueWasSet = connection.setNX(element.getKeyBytes(), element.get());
-			return valueWasSet ? null : connection.get(element.getKeyBytes());
+			return existingValue;
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/redis/cache/RedisCacheUnitTests.java b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/redis/cache/RedisCacheUnitTests.java
index 5a9b7338b..8f1df5421 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/redis/cache/RedisCacheUnitTests.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/redis/cache/RedisCacheUnitTests.java
@@ -15,6 +15,9 @@
  */
 package org.springframework.data.redis.cache;
 
+import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.is;
+import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.notNullValue;
+import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.nullValue;
 import static org.hamcrest.core.IsEqual.*;
 import static org.junit.Assert.*;
 import static org.mockito.Matchers.*;
@@ -30,6 +33,7 @@ import org.junit.rules.ExpectedException;
 import org.junit.runner.RunWith;
 import org.mockito.Mock;
 import org.mockito.runners.MockitoJUnitRunner;
+import org.springframework.cache.Cache;
 import org.springframework.data.redis.RedisSystemException;
 import org.springframework.data.redis.connection.RedisClusterConnection;
 import org.springframework.data.redis.connection.RedisConnection;
@@ -40,6 +44,7 @@ import org.springframework.data.redis.serializer.RedisSerializer;
 
 /**
  * @author Christoph Strobl
+ * @author Mark Paluch
  */
 @SuppressWarnings("rawtypes")
 @RunWith(MockitoJUnitRunner.class)
@@ -154,6 +159,56 @@ public class RedisCacheUnitTests {
 		verify(connectionMock, never()).expire(eq(KNOWN_KEYS_SET_NAME_BYTES), anyLong());
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * @see DATAREDIS-542
+	 */
+	@Test
+	public void putIfAbsentShouldExpireWhenValueWasSet() {
+
+		when(connectionMock.setNX(KEY_BYTES, VALUE_BYTES)).thenReturn(true);
+
+		cache = new RedisCache(CACHE_NAME, NO_PREFIX_BYTES, templateSpy, 10L);
+		Cache.ValueWrapper valueWrapper = cache.putIfAbsent(KEY, VALUE);
+
+		assertThat(valueWrapper, is(nullValue()));
+		verify(connectionMock).setNX(KEY_BYTES, VALUE_BYTES);
+		verify(connectionMock).expire(eq(KEY_BYTES), anyLong());
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * @see DATAREDIS-542
+	 */
+	@Test
+	public void putIfAbsentShouldNotExpireWhenValueWasNotSetAndRedisContainsOtherData() {
+
+		String other = "other";
+		when(connectionMock.setNX(KEY_BYTES, VALUE_BYTES)).thenReturn(false);
+		when(connectionMock.get(KEY_BYTES)).thenReturn(other.getBytes());
+		when(valueSerializerMock.deserialize(eq(other.getBytes()))).thenReturn(other);
+
+		cache = new RedisCache(CACHE_NAME, NO_PREFIX_BYTES, templateSpy, 10L);
+		Cache.ValueWrapper valueWrapper = cache.putIfAbsent(KEY, VALUE);
+
+		assertThat(valueWrapper, is(notNullValue()));
+		verify(connectionMock, never()).expire(eq(KEY_BYTES), anyLong());
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * @see DATAREDIS-542
+	 */
+	@Test
+	public void putIfAbsentShouldExpireWhenValueWasNotSetAndRedisContainsSameData() {
+
+		when(connectionMock.setNX(KEY_BYTES, VALUE_BYTES)).thenReturn(false);
+		when(connectionMock.get(KEY_BYTES)).thenReturn(VALUE_BYTES);
+
+		cache = new RedisCache(CACHE_NAME, NO_PREFIX_BYTES, templateSpy, 10L);
+		Cache.ValueWrapper valueWrapper = cache.putIfAbsent(KEY, VALUE);
+
+		assertThat(valueWrapper, is(notNullValue()));
+		verify(connectionMock).expire(eq(KEY_BYTES), anyLong());
+	}
+
 	/**
 	 * @see DATAREDIS-443
 	 */