activation limit

The easiest solution is to email EA (or use live chat) and ask for more activations.

Do you need to uninstall the game manually to get back activation(s)?

If you have the latest patch, then yes, uninstalling will give you back one activation. Before the patch you had to download extra software to do this.

contacting ea is a joke

you contact the support team through onine chat you get told to call a toll number during 9-5 hours on a weekday, the toll number guy tells you to email ea support, the return email tells you to call the toll number etc etc - full week wasted on a circle jerk

THEY JUST WANT YOUR MONEY. they will keep jerking yoou around like this until you buy a new copy of the game  -  dont give them the satisfaction, walk away.

the above example is from when this occured to my girlfriend, i have now, as of today, hit the same activation limit and i just cannot be bothered to even go through it all, i have contacted the online support and been told to do the toll number thing, not happening, ive seen how that works.

way to go ea, do everything in your power to piss off legitimate customers

Sometimes you will get an incompetent employee in the live chat. In this case, end the chat and try again. Some people in EA support do know what they're doing.