Most of us probably start out with travel credit cards in the same way: We’re looking for ways to save money on travel, stumble across a website or two talking about the joys of travel rewards points and hesitantly sign up for our first card.

Depending on which cards you’ve been looking at, you may have seen some bogglingly large offers of points in welcome bonuses. But what does that really mean, and how much are those points really worth? Let’s take a look as we explore how to shop travel credit card welcome bonuses, sometimes known as sign-up bonuses.

What is a welcome bonus on a travel credit card?

The realm of travel credit cards is competitive, and issuers will do almost anything to stand out. Often this means cards will come with varying benefits designed to make your life easier, such as statement credits, hotel elite status and airport lounge access. But one big — and fairly surefire — way to grab your attention is by offering a welcome bonus.

Welcome bonuses are a lump sum of points that you earn by spending money on your credit card. The number of points you’ll earn and the amount of money you’ll need to spend will vary by credit card, but you’ll usually need to meet a minimum spending requirement within a set timespan.

The variance in these bonuses can be huge. For example, take the welcome bonus offered with the AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard®: Earn 60,000 AAdvantage® bonus miles after making your first purchase and paying the $99 annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days. This card's points come from American Airlines.

On the other hand, with The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, this is the current welcome offer: Earn 120,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Platinum Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.

At a quick glance, you can see that you could earn bonus points with the co-branded AAdvantage card by simply paying the annual fee and making a purchase for as little as 99 cents. That offer makes the AmEx bonus, which has a much higher spending requirement, seem like a pretty unfair deal in comparison.

However, the number of points isn't the only thing to consider. You also have to think about the value of those points.

Which credit cards offer welcome bonuses?

We mentioned above that welcome bonuses are a method of attracting customers, which means that plenty of different cards are going to offer them. Generally speaking, you’ll find a welcome bonus on nearly all travel credit cards with an annual fee. The type of bonus you’ll receive will depend on your card.

If you’re looking to get a co-branded Hilton credit card, your bonus will come in the form of Hilton Honors points.

If you’d like a little more flexibility with your points, you may instead opt for a Chase card that earns Chase Ultimate Rewards®. These points can be transferred to many different hotel and airline partners for reward redemptions.