Credit card and mortgage application timings and credit score

Libraryloiterer

Hello,

My partner and I are hoping to purchase a first flat at some point this year, hopefully in the next 4-8 months. We’ve saved a reasonable deposit and will soon start to investigate talking to mortgage brokers. We both have quite good credit scores but I don’t currently have a credit card. I believe that using and consistently repaying a credit card will help me further improve my credit score but I was unsure for how long the ‘footprint’ of applying for a card remains on my credit file. As the main reason for me taking out a credit card would be to improve my credit score I definitely wouldn’t want this to be counterproductive if we saw somewhere we were interested in and wanted to apply for a mortgage in the next few months.

Can anyone offer any advice? Point 11 on the MSE article 'Credit-rating-credit-score' (sorry I can't yet post the link) implies that I’d be better not applying for a credit card if I were likely to make a mortgage application ‘in the next six months or so.’

Any guidance much appreciate.

Thanks

MorningcoffeeIV

Your credit score isn't a factor in lending. It's a made up number only you see for entertainment purposes. 

Lenders will be looking at your credit history and how you manage it.

Sensible use of a credit card is a good way of building credit history.