SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio drivers may have noticed some interesting movement at the pump this week. However, despite a sudden jump in prices, Thanksgiving travelers are still expected to see cheaper gas at the pump compared to last year.
According to GasBuddy, Texas’ average gas price is slightly lower than it was during Thanksgiving week in 2024.
“Texas’ average price [is] about a penny lower than last year,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. “All in all, you’re going to be seeing some very familiar prices for Thanksgiving. Prices still at Thanksgiving [are] expected to be just lower than last year. It’s going to be the cheapest Thanksgiving since really the pandemic back in 2021.”
De Haan said this week’s roller-coaster prices are tied to price cycling — a pattern where stations slowly drop prices until they’re nearly selling fuel at cost, then sharply raise them again.
And that’s exactly what happened.
San Antonio’s average price jumped from $2.53 on Monday to $2.62 on Tuesday, and climbed again to $2.81 on Wednesday, according to AAA Texas.
Thanksgiving travel: What drivers should expect
AAA expects heavy road congestion in the days leading up to Thanksgiving.
“We are anticipating that the heaviest traffic will be on the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving, as well as the Sunday after Thanksgiving,” said Doug Shupe, corporate communications manager for AAA. “Our recommendation is to leave as early in the day as you possibly can.”
AAA projects 5.3 million Texans will hit the road from next Tuesday through the Monday after Thanksgiving — making early departures and avoiding late-afternoon travel especially important.
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