Are refurbished iPhone sold with a contract or SIM card?

Question

Accepted Answer

No, refurbished iPhones are not sold with a contract or a SIM card unless stated otherwise on the seller's website. When you buy a refurbished iPhone, you are buying hardware only, without a long-term commitment, phone number, or carrier plan.

How refurbished phones are sold

Professional refurbishers are not carriers. They focus on the device itself:

No contract. There is no monthly payment plan or carrier agreement tied to the purchase. You pay once for the phone.
No SIM card. You need to supply your own SIM or activate an eSIM after receiving the device.
No phone number. You keep your existing number by transferring your SIM, or get a new number from your carrier separately.

This applies to all major refurbishers on RefurbMe, including Apple Store, Back Market, Amazon Renewed, and others.

What to check before buying

Since the phone comes without a carrier plan, you should verify a few things before purchasing:

Lock status. Some refurbished iPhones are locked to a specific carrier. If you already have a carrier, make sure the phone is compatible. Better yet, choose an unlocked phone for full flexibility.
SIM compatibility. Most modern iPhones use a Nano-SIM. iPhone 14 and later sold in the US are eSIM-only with no physical SIM tray. All iPhone 17 models and iPhone Air are eSIM-only worldwide.
Carrier activation. Once you have the phone, you can activate it by inserting your SIM or contacting your carrier.

You can also learn how to unlock an iPhone if you end up with a locked device.

eSIM as an option

If your refurbished iPhone supports eSIM (iPhone XS and later), you can skip the physical SIM entirely. eSIM lets you activate a carrier plan digitally within minutes. This is especially useful if you want to get connected immediately after receiving your phone. Learn more about using eSIM on a refurbished iPhone.