What is a SIM Card and how do I activate it?

A SIM Card is a small removable chip used in cellular phones to connect to your cellular network. The SIM Card allows your phone to communicate with your cell phone provider.

See How to Activate

See how to insert and activate your SIM Card in a few easy steps.

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Inserting Your SIM Card

A step-by-step Guide:

1. Turn your phone to "Off."
2. Locate your phone’s SIM Card Tray. It might be on the phone’s side edges or it may be inside the phone’s back cover.
   • Start by looking at the top, bottom and side edges of the phone for a small rectangular cut with a small round hole (the hole looks like a dot).
   • When you find the hole, use a SIM ejection tool (included with all Assurance Wireless orders) or a paper clip/earring to push in the small hole, which will pop out the SIM Card tray.
   • If you can’t find the tray on the phone edge, you need to access it by removing the phone’s back cover:
     • Find a groove along the back side of the phone and push it until it pops off.
     • The SIM Card slot is often on the left side near the battery. Sometimes it is behind the battery, so you may need to remove the battery if a slot is not visible.
3. Remove the old SIM Card if there is one in the tray.
4. Prepare the new SIM Card:
   • Pop out the Assurance Wireless SIM Card from the SIM Card carrier (a white plastic card about the size of a credit card that is branded Assurance Wireless).
   • The SIM Card comes in three different sizes, but the smallest size is the most common. The smallest size has a very thin white border around the gold contact area.
5. Insert the new SIM Card:
   • Insert the SIM Card into the tray or slot by matching up the cut corner on the card with the cut corner on the tray/slot. The gold side of the SIM Card usually goes face down.
   • Insert the tray back into the phone or close the back cover.
6. Turn on the phone: After you turn on the phone, It might take a few minutes for the phone to connect to the network.
7. Make a test call to ensure the phone is working.
8. If you’ve completed these steps and you can’t make a test call, try the following:
   • If an error message appears or a call cannot be made, check to ensure the SIM Card is inserted correctly.
   • Turn off the phone for 30 seconds and try again.
   • If you’re still having trouble, call the Customer Care team at 1-888-321-5880 from a different phone.