Old credit cards

[ReaRea]

Hello all.
I have a question. I finally paid off my vehicle last year and with my taxes coming back and being at my job for a while, I have the ability to pay off my old credit card debts. The balance of all them together is about $2500. Now all of my cards have been closed since about 2009 but I have still been paying on them here and there.
My question is, would it make any difference to my credit score if I was to pay it all off in one lump sum or to make steady payments for a few months then pay it off? I know it's better to establish a good payment history but with the accounts already being closed does it really make a difference? I am itching to just pay them off and be done with them, but I would like to help my credit in any little way possible.
Thanks in advance

[kork13]

if you have the spare cash available (above and beyond holding a suitable emergency fund), I would say just pay it off in a lump sum. It'll save you the interest costs of needlessly dragging it out.

[~bs]

you can pay them off. Whatever damage was done to your credit was already done when you closed the accounts. It's better to leave the accounts open with a $0 balance than it is to close the accounts.

[VanReb]

Pay it off!

[bjl584]

As was alluded to, pay it off if you have the means. Get it behind you and move on.

[ccole]

Just pay it off. You need to get out of it and start all over again. Just don't mind your credit score as of the moment.