Activation mean SIM card putting it in your phone and making a call. In the About Phone - Status Information section, you will see the "Date of First Call Made." Before making a call, it shows 00/00/0000. After the call, it shows the date when the call was made. However, if you want to redeem your gift, activation is not necessary. The only thing you need to make sure of is that your phone is pre-booked. You can verify this from where you bought it.
