Is it better to pay off a credit card that has gone to collections?

You pay it. It does not fall off. Capital One sues, gets a judgment so that 800 is now 3800 once you add in interest, collection agency fee and court costs.

Try to work out a deal with the collection agency. If you do make sure they update your credit report that you made a settlement. Your credit score is hosed but a settlement will help in the long run.

It will show that you're more credit worthy than the people that just say screw it and don't try to resolve the problem.

The sooner you pay it off, the better for you. One headache gone, without all the extras the collections company will charge, making it even harder to get rid of.

It will probably cost you more now than with capital one, but if you leave it, it will escalate beyond your expectations and become a big problem. Pay as much as you can, as often as you can. It will be worth the effort for peace of mind. The collections company may be willing to come to an arrangement, but my advice would be to pay even more, to get rid of it even quicker.

Try to negotiate an agreement where you pay it in full and they remove the adverse reporting. I believe it is called Pay for Deletion or something like that.

You will be given a new credit card by a new company.