Should I pay off my credit card debt or default?

I am a 72 year old woman recently widowed with 25k in creditt card debt in my name. I live in NY state and currently employed making 23K/yr. I own my house with a value of 100K. I have an 30K in savings and am receiving 50K from a life insurance policy.

I don't think I'll ever have a need for credit again, so I'm not worried about my credit score. What are the pros and cons of defaulting on the credit cards?

Pay the debt. You borrowed the money, pay it back. If you don't you will be sued for the money, which will result in a judgement against you. You are employed and have assets. The creditor will get his money, probably twice what you owe right now.

They will file a judgement and when granted, you will no longer have 30k in savings. You will have zero... and probably still owe some.

They can (and likely will) attach a lien to any property you have making it impossible to sell without settling the lien first.

Plus, this isn't about your credit rating... its about morality. You borrowed the money - pay it back.