Iphone "No Sim" Please help

I currently am trying to use an iphone 5s since my iphone 6 has been stolen or lost, and my dad mistakenly shoved the sim card into the slot without the tray. After finally getting it out with a toothpick, I put it in the tray and it said "No sim". I looked at the sim and saw three deep scratches (not knowing that it's perfectly normal) on the sim card. After failed attempts at buying wrong sims, Straight talk sent me a free replacement sim. I have just received the sim today but it still says "No Sim" before going to the website to activate. Now my service has ran out, and i can't activate my phone without a 45 dollar card, and I don't want to pay it if it's a hardware issue. Will an iphone still display "No Sim" if the sim itself has not been activated online yet?