What happens if you don't pay a deceased person's credit card debt?

Typically credit card debt is paid from the deceased person’s estate during probate, not by relatives — creditors file claims against estate assets before inheritances are distributed.
Family members usually aren’t personally liable, but exceptions include joint account holders, co‑signers and spouses in community‑property states.
If the estate lacks assets, unsecured debt (like credit cards) may go unpaid and be written off, though collectors can still contact the estate’s executor during probate.